Expression device for pneumatic musical instruments.



No. 889,467. PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908.

E. DE KLBIST. EXPRBSSlON DEVICE FOR PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18. 1906.

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E. DE KLEIST. EXPRESSION DEVICE FOR PNEUMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE18, 1906.

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UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE DE KLEIST, or NORTHQIONAWANDA, NEW YORK.

EXPRESSION nnvrcn FORJPNEUMATIC M stoAL INSTRUMENTS. J

' I Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. June 18, 1906. Serial No. 322,164.

Patented June 2, 1908.

and useful Improvement in Expression Dev1ces for Pneumatic MusicalInstruments, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the regulating devices employed in pneumaticmusical instruments for causing the same to shade the music or play withexpression, and more particularly to expression devices in which thedesired effects are produced by varying the air tension or degree ofvacuum in the Wind chest.

The object of my invention is the provision of an efficient andinexpensive expression device of this character which can beconveniently regulated and which is not liable to get out of order.

In the accompanylng drawings consisting of 2 sheets: Figure 1 is-asectional front elevation of a self playing pneumatic piano, embod ingthe invention, the piano action and ot or members not constituting apart of the improvement being omitted; Flg. 2

is a diagrammatic cross section of the wind e tracker board and theexpresslon mechanism, on an enlarged scale, the plane of the section ofthe expression mechanism being in line 22, Fig. 4. Fig. 31s a front.

. view of the expression Imechanism; Fig. 4

is a rear view of the'said mechanism, with its rear board omitted. Fig.5 is .a horizontal [section in line 5-5, Fig. .4.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts throughoutthe several views.

Aind1cates the WlIlCl chest containing a pneumatic action of anysuitable construction and B the motor pneumatics Whichopmate the usualabstracts or stickers which tion, G -the travelingmusic sheet wound uponthe rolls 71', h, and-I the usual tubes or of the rocking type shown.

conduits leading from the ducts of the. tracker board to the wind chest.

J is a valve box or case containing a plurality of inlet or flushingchambers j, y y' and an outlet or regulatmg chamber i the valve boxbeing divided to formthese chambers by a longitudinal partition 70 andtransverse partitions 7c The regulating chamber 3 is connected with thechamber of the wind board E by a tube 7'. Each of said flushing chamberscommunicateswith the regulating chamberby a port lformed in thelongitudinal partition is and controlled by an automatic regulatingvalve Z of any suitable construction which opens toward the regulatingchamber, an ordinary hinged orswinging valve being shown in thedrawings. Each regulating valve is yieldingly held closed by a spring Zapplied to its screw threaded stem Z between an adjustable button or nutZ and a bridge piece Z which spans the corresponding port Z, the valvestem' passing through s'ald port and bridge piece.

Each of the flushing chambers 7', j, is provided with a port m by whichit communicates with the outer atmosphere and which is controlled by avalve m preferably These orts are preferably formed in the top of t evalve box and theirvalves m are normally closed by suitable springs,asshown. When one of the valves m iso cued-by he means hereinafterdescribed, t 1e outer tmosphere enters the corresponding flushingchamber and by its pressure against the corresponding regulating'valve 1opens the same to the extent permitted by its resistance spring l Theatmosphere is thus admittedto the regulating chamber j and thence to theWind board E and the wind chest, thereby dimimshing the tension ordegree of vacuum in the latter, operating the motor neumatics withlcorrespondingly less force and causing the piano hammers to strike thestrings more lightly.

.The springs Z of the regulating valves l are so tensionedor graded thatthey respectively; exert the necessary resistance upon the valves toproduce different air tensions corresponding. for example to piano,mezzo forte and forte.

The regulating valve or .valves which have s rings of low resistancehave a tendency to utter. To prevent this a liggt, supplemental spring Zis arrangedrto; ar aga t 'the outer end of the stem ior the adjustingnut of each of such valves, two of the valves being provided with such srings in the construction shown in the rawings. If desired, onlythevalveof lowest resistance may be provided with such an auxiliary spring.These auxiliary springs do not interfere with the action of-theresistance springs of said valves, but simply serve to prevent vibrationof the latter .while open.

N, N, N indicate a plurality pneumatics or bellows which respectivelycontrol the flushing valves m. In the construction shown, thesepneumatics are mounted on a shelf a arranged above said valves and theirupper movable boards act upon the tails of the valves through the mediumof rods or stickers n, so that when one of said pneumatics is collapsed,the corresponding flushing valve is opened, while when the pneumatic isflushed, the valve is closed by its spring, in an obvious manner.

Each of the expression pneumatics N, N, N 2 is controlled by a row ofperforations in the music sheet and a corresponding valve mechanism ofthe wind chest, like the valve mechanisms which control themotor-pneumatics of the piano hammers. In Fig. 2 is shown one of thesevalve mechanisms, which of expression comprises the customary doublepuppet valve 0, o, eontrollin the usual air and exhaust ports 0, 0 w ichcommunicate respectively with the air chamber 0 and the exhaust chamberF of the wind chest, the pneumatic being connected by a tube 1) with theexhaust and flushing channel p of the corresponding valve mechanism...When a perforation of the music sheet registers with the tracker ductcorrespondingto one of said expression pneumatics, the correspondinuppet valve is elevated or reversed in a wel own manner, placing saidpneumatic in connection with the exhaust chamber of the wind chest andcollapsing it, while when an imperforate portion of the music sheetpasses over said duet, the puppet valve descends, placing the pneumaticin communication with the air chamber 0' of the wind chest and flushingit. It will be understood that the music sheet has a separate row ofperfora-' tions for each of the expression pneumatics. With eachexpression: pneumatic preferabl cooperates a retaining pneumatic or belows g which locks the movable board of the expression pneumatic in itsdepressed position during the period it is to'remain collapsed, therebyavoiding the necessity of providing the music sheet with long slots forthis purpose. In the construction shown, these retaining pneumatics aremounted vertically on a wall or board R secured to the front side of thevalve box J and the movable board of each of the same is pro vidvd witha catch having a shoulder s which in tel-locks with a bar 8 carried bythe movable board of the corresponding expres 'size and o sion pneumaticwhen the latter is collapsed and the retaining neumatic is expanded, asshown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the retaining pneumatic iscollapsed, its catch iswithdrawn from engagement with the movable boardof the expression pneumatic, allowing the latter to expand to its formerposition. The catch of each retaining pneumatic is preferably providedabove its main shoulder s with an auxiliary shoulder or stop s whichinterlocks with the bar 8 of the corres onding pneumatic when the latteris expan ed, thereby limiting the expanding movement of the expressionpneumatic. The retaining pneumatlcs are controlled by separate rows ofperforations in the music sheet and cod eratin valve mechanisms in the.wind c lest, identical with those which control the motor pneumatics andthe expression pneumatics, the .letter t indicating the tubeswhich'connect the retaining pneumatics with the corresponding exhaustand flushing channels of t e wind chest.

, The operation of the expression mechanism is as follows: The pumps Care of such perated at such a speed as to produce an air tension ordegree of vacuum in the wind chest sufficient to give a maximum force ofstroke to the greatest number of piano hammers actuated at a time. Soong as none of the expression perforations of the music sheet registerwith the tracker ducts, the expression pneumatics N, N, N remainexpanded and the flushing valves m remain closed. Under theseconditions, the outer atmosphere is excluded from the flushing chambers7', 1' and prevented from acting upon the regulating valves Z. Thelatter therefore all remain closed and the maximum air tension isproduced in the regulating chamber and the wind chest, causing theinstrument to play quite loud, say double forte. VVhen'a perforation inthe music sheet controlling say the expression neumatic N registers.with the correspon ing tracker duct, the pneumatic is collapsed, openinthe companion flushing valve m and a lowing the atmospheric pressure toact upon the corresponding reguating valve Z and open the same. Theresistance'of this valve is such that when the same is opened thetension in the wind chest is reduced to the proper extent to produce acomparatively loud effect, say forte. Wheri the flushing valvecontrolled by the second expression pneumatic N is in like ,manneropened, the atmospheric pressure opens the corresponding regulatingvalve, t e resistance of which is such as to reduce .the air tension tothe necessary extent to cause the instrument to say mezzo forte, whilewhen the flushing valve controlled by the third pneumatic N is opened,the consequent opening of the play a degree softer,

pneumatics and three regulating va'ves are 1 erein shown, but it isobvious that a greater or less number may be employed, according to thenumber of shades of expression de sired. 1

While I have herein shown and described pneumatic means for controllingthe flushmg valves, I do not wish to be-limited to that construction, asthe same could be operated manually or by mechanical or other suitablemeans -without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musicalinstruments, comprising a case having a plurality of flushing )orts anda plurality of corresponding regu ating ports, valves controlling saidregulating orts and having resistance de vices of di erent tensions,valves controlling said flushing ports, and means for o crating saidflushing valves, substantialy as set forth.

2. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musicalinstruments, comprising a case containing'a plurality of independentflushing chambers each having an inlet or flushing port and an outlet orregulating port, valves controllingthe respective reguating ports andhaving resistance devices of different tensions, individual valvescontrolling said flushing ports, and means for operating the last-naniedvalves, substantially as set forth.

3. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musicalinstruments, comprising a case having a plurality of flushing ports anda plurality of corresponding regulating ports, valves controllingsaidregulating ports and having resistance devices of differenttensions, valves controlling said flushing ports, and pneumatics foroperating said flushing valves, substantially asset forth.

4. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musicalinstruments, comprising a case-containing a regulating chamber and aplurality of flushing chambers connected with the regulating chamber byindividual regulating ports, each flushing chamher also having aflushing port, automatic valves controlling said regulating ports andhaving closing springs of different grades of resistance, valvescontrolling said flushing ports, and means for o erating the lastnamedvalves, substantiaily as set forth.

5. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musicalinstruments, comprising a case containing a regulating chamber and aplurality of flushing chambers connected with the regulating chamber byindividual regulating ports, each flushing chamber also having aflushing port, bridge pieces extending across the regulating ports,valves controlling said regulating ports and having stems which passthrough saidbridge pieces, adjusting nuts mounted on said stems,resistance s )rings applied to said valve stems between t e bridgepieces and said nuts, and valves controlling said flushing ports,substantially as set forth.

6. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musicalinstruments, comprising a case containing a plurality of independentflushing chambers each having an inlet 'or flushing port and an outletor regulating )ort, valves controlling the respective reguiating portsand having resistance devices of different tensions, valves applied tosaid flushing orts, expression pneumatics controlling t e last-namedvalves, and retaining pneumatics for locking the expression pneumaticsin their collapsed position, substantially as set forth.

7. A device for controlling the air tension of pneumatic musicalinstruments, comprising a case containing plurality of independentflushing chambers each having an inlet or flushing port and an outlet orregulating port, valves controlling the respective regulating ports andhaving closing springs of different tensions, one or more of said valvesbeing provided with auxiliary springs to prevent. fluttering thereofwhen open, valves applier to said flushing ports, and means foroperating the last named valves, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 14th day of June, 1906.

EUGENEDE KLEISR Witnesses:

C. F. GEYER, E. M. GRAHAM.

